


Hounds of Love

by goblindesert



Series: Inquisitor Des Lavellan [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, Female inquisitor origin, Ferelden, Origin Story, Thedas, mentions of hero of Ferelden
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-27 02:11:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6265501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goblindesert/pseuds/goblindesert
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The origin story of inquisitor Des Lavellan. Taking a look at her humble beginnings in her clan and events that transpired to lead her on the course of becoming Inquisitor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So I know nobody will be interested in reading a origin story where there aren't many known characters as a point of reference so this is mostly for myself. A way of getting to know my inquisitor a little better before I write a fic exploring her time as Inquisitor :) so hopefully somebody other than myself finds this worth a read. 
> 
> Also, I'm very new to the Dragon Age fandom, so please, if I get something wrong with the lore or anything like that, please let me know. I'm always looking to learn more.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

_9:30 Dragon Age_

 Deslyn let the crisp forest air fill her lungs before exhaling slowly, it was moments like these that she cherished. Time alone in the Brecilian forest, away from the pressures of the clan. That was when she felt truly free.  
  
“Well Mena, I suppose we better get what we came for before they realise we're gone.” She said, stroking her halla's head affectionately. Mena snorted loudly in response before trotting away to a patch of grass. Deslyn smiled and made her way over to the fallen tree she had been searching for. It lay half sunken in the earth, partially obscured by a mess of vines. It had taken her three secret trips to the forest to find it, the rare ironbark tree that her mentor, Varathorn, had told her about. She pulled the vines from the trunk and took a small hand carved knife from her belt, scraping away the fine coating of moss that covered most of the trunk to reveal the dark, rough bark beneath.  
“This is definitely it, we finally found it, girl!” She called over her shoulder to Mena, who was more interested in the buffet of flora offered by the forest. Deslyn turned back to the tree, running her hands over the rough surface. Blood-sap seeped from fissures in the trunk. “It's so healthy and well protected. This will be of great use.” She muttered to herself, before pulling out a small axe that was strapped to her back. She planned to take a sample back to Varathorn so he could make further assessments.  
  
Varathorn had been training Deslyn for well over a year in the art of craftsmanship, much to the dismay of her Mother, who had always dreamt of her becoming the clans First. Varathorn often scolded her for venturing into the forest alone to find crafting supplies, but was always too pleased by her discoveries to discipline her, or inform her parents of her risky outings. She brought the axe high above her head and swung down in one swift motion, hitting the tree with a solid thunk. She continued this motion until she had a small handful of ironbark samples to put into her knapsack.

 “I thought I'd find you here.” A voice spoke from behind her. Deslyn jumped in shock and gripped her axe tighter as she swung round to face the quiet intruder. She came face to face with her younger sister and blew out the breath she didn't realise she was holding.

“Amara, you scared me half to death!” Her sister's talent for going undetected had led to the best hunters from their clan proclaiming that she would one day be amongst their ranks, a compliment that Deslyn's little sister often let go to her head. She took every opportunity to show off her skills, much to the dismay of friends, family and those weak of heart. Amara stroked Mena's head with a smug smile plastered across her face. Deslyn glared at her halla, “Traitor, you were supposed to be watching my back.” Mena just closed her eyes and continued to enjoy the fingers stroking her, ignoring the looks being thrown her way. “What do you want?” She said, giving her sister a scathing look. She was upset that Amara had managed to track and surprise her so easily. Her talents were undeniable, if not infuriating.

“Mother asked me to come find you and before you ask, no, she doesn't know you're in the forest. My keen senses told me you'd be here.” She said the last part with a wink, causing a exaggerated eye-roll on Deslyn's behalf.

“Did she say why she wanted to see me?” In her experience it had never been a good thing when her Mother requested to see her. The last time had resulted in having to sit through a very long and boring lecture on their families importance and why she, as the eldest child, held the responsibility of making sure their strong elven blood lived on, as well as their traditions. These are not things a seventeen year old cares about. Deslyn was more interested in learning to make wood bend to her will and the magical properties of plants and stones.

“No, she told me nothing. You better hurry back though, you know she hates to be kept waiting.” Her sister spun on her heels not waiting to see whether Deslyn followed. She sighed and flung her knapsack onto her back.

“Come on Mena. Lets go.” She followed her sister begrudgingly out of the forest.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short chapter unfortunately, I was hoping to jump head first into the action in this chapter but it will have to wait until chapter three. I haven't had nearly as much time to work on creative endeavours as I would like.

“Deslyn, where have you been? you're filthy!” Her mother announced as she approached. Deslyn raised a dubious eyebrow and looked down at herself. Aside from her tan leggings that had scattered patches of mud and grass stains, the only other “filth” she could find on herself was some dirt on her hands that had refused to wash clean in the nearby river.

“I was tending to Mena, Mother.”

Her mother pursed her lips before speaking again. “Well...I suppose that's better than wasting your time with Varathorn. Why don't you ever seek out Zathrian? he could teach you so much about your magic, much more than Varathorn ever could.”

Deslyn frowned at her response and bit her tongue. There was no point in trying to defend herself or Varathorn, it only ever ended in an argument. Instead she tried to change the subject. “Amara said you wanted to speak to me about something?”

Thankfully, her mother followed the queue to move the discussion forward. Deslyn swallowed hard. _'If she doesn't want to take an opportunity to lecture me about Varathorn, this must be really serious.'_ She thought suddenly. Her heart thrashed around her chest, like a bird locked in a cage. Knots formed in her stomach as she scoured her brain, trying to think of what her mother could possibly want to discuss. _'Has she found out about my trips to the forest? Has Amara betrayed me?'_ Deslyn thought anxiously.

“We need to discuss your coming of age and your blood writing.”

Deslyn exhaled all the air that remained in her lungs. _'That's it?'_ She thought, feeling relief flood over her _'Of course! Why didn't I think of that before. It's so close now.'_

“I have spoken to Zathrian and he has agreed to spend the rest of the month with you, helping you prepare.”

_'That's fair, I can agree to that.'_ Deslyn thought whilst nodding.

“You will meet with him everyday at sunrise and remain with him until he feels you are done for the day. You will have to cut back on the time you spend with Varathorn. I want you to focus wholly on preparing yourself. Every member of our family has received their vallaslin in their first sitting, you will not be an exception to that.” She nodded again, agreeing to avoid a lecture.  
Her mother paused for a moment before continuing. “There's something else that I wanted to discuss with you.” Deslyn swallowed hard at the admission, there was always an ulterior motive behind every conversation her mother roped her into. “I've been having very serious talks with Erlan about our family's future. His son, Gaelin, has fast become one the camps best hunters, he is a good provider, with strong elven blood and has many women from the clan already promising themselves to him. Erlan and I have decided that after your coming of age, you would be the perfect partner for his son. Gaelin also agrees that it would be a smart pairing and wishes to bond with you once you've received your vallaslin.”

Deslyn's mouth fell open as she tried to process the information that had passed from her mother's lips. Surely she had heard wrong, her mother planned to bind her to a man she barely knew, selling her off like some unwanted possession? Of all the indignities she had suffered through her mother, this was by far the worst.  
“Surely, you aren't serious Mother!” She found herself shouting. “How dare you! How dare you make this decision without even coming to me first, this is my life we are talking about. I am not some possession to be sold to whomever offers the most gold, or in this case, the best bloodline!” She found herself spitting the words at her, practically foaming at the mouth in her rage.

“Deslyn, calm yourself!” Her mother said tutting.

“No, I will not be calm! How could you do this?”

“I thought after our many discussions this year that you would understand. The clan must come before our own selfish desires. This is the step we must take to ensure the longevity and strength of this family.”

Deslyn threw her arms in the air in frustration. “I can't even speak to you right now!” Before her mother could retort, she found herself running. Her breath hitched in her throat and she realised she was crying. Tears blurred her vision as she sprinted away from the sound of her mother calling after her, past the questioning eyes of the camp and their looks of concern.

“Mena!” Deslyn shouted as she reached the halla pen. The creature met her calls instantly, bracing as Deslyn leapt on to her back. “Please, take me far away from here.”

Mena bowed her head in acknowledgement, before carrying her towards to sanctuary of the forest.

 

 


End file.
